LL Cool J’s performance at the BC Lions home opener set the tone for their next two games, winning both, and launching the pride into first place with a 3-0 start to the season. The Kings of the CFL jungle rocked the Edmonton Elks’ bells, pitching a 22-0 shutout on June 17, followed by an emphatic 30-6 dismantling of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on June 22. Bomber fans booed and left the game with six minutes still left to play.
The success on the field looks in part due to the players’ chemistry and trust in each other. The head coaching staff seem to have established a great football culture from the field to the locker room. There’s an atmosphere of support and respect, and early on it appears to make the 2023 Lions an effective championship contender.
The Boomin’ System:
Despite a slow, touchdownless first half against Edmonton, Vernon Adams Jr. has been “that type of guy” — the one who handles the pressure as a starting quarterback in the CFL. Totaling 312 yards, and completing 25/35 passes against the Elks, Adams pulled the team together in the third quarter for a 62-yard drive from the Lions’ 48-yard line to score the game’s only touchdown. In Winnipeg, the boomin’ system’s momentum continued where it left off against Edmonton. Adams scored two touchdown passes, broke 200+ yards passing with 20/30 completions, and rushed for 30 yards. His understanding of his receivers’ routes is apparent with his fast releases, dishes, and sideways no-look throws. Completing passes to multiple receivers in each drive, Adams’ connection with Alexander Hollins and Justin McInnis stands out as textbook execution, and Dominique Rhymes is already in the top-five receiving yards and touchdown catch leaders. The confidence Adams has with his O-Line for protection gives him valuable seconds to throw, or take off and run.
John Bowman’s front seven has washed over the Edmonton and Winnipeg O-lines like water on rock. The bend-but-not-break style of the Lions backfield was solid and held Zach Colloras and the Bombers — who were averaging 43 points going into the game — to a scoreless second half. Who in the CFL remembers such a phenomenon happening? Few, because the last time a western division team beat the Bombers on their home turf was in 2018.
Highlighting key defensive players for the Lions is a problem because they all work well together. Each tackle is a group effort, but some Canadian players have been making big impacts on each play. Quebecer Mathieu Betts has been an explosive pass rusher on the defensive line, leading the team in sacks, dropping three of the Lions’ seven sacks against Winnipeg. Boseko “Bo” Lokombo, the Congolese-British Columbian linebacker from Abbotsford’s W. J. Mouat Secondary is the Lions’ ripper. The CFL’s 2021 most outstanding Canadian leads the defence with 14 total tackles, while former UBC Thunderbird Ben Hladik from Vernon B.C. has 10 tackles, and an interception against Winnipeg in a great start this season.
Many sports fans have heard “the best offence is a good defence” — a twist on the old war proverb that may be proving true for the Lions. Defensive coordinator Ryan Phillips has harnessed the weapons of the Lions’ roster to pitch the first franchise shutout in 46 years against Edmonton, and only allowed Winnipeg to kick two field goals for six points. He’s pulled from his experience playing under defence-oriented head coaches such as legendary coach Wally Buono, and Mike Benevides. After signing as a defensive back coach in 2021, Phillips has gained the confidence of another defensive-minded head coach, Rick Campbell, to run the Lions’ defence and has done well to produce the best defence currently in the CFL.
While there’s lots of football left to be played this year, the Lions are showing their true culture with their dominant victories. Next on the B.C. schedule is the reigning Grey Cup Champions, the Toronto Argonauts, on July 3 — another test for the Lions to overcome. Argos quarterback Chad Kelly is an aggressive rusher and accurate passer that has control of his offence and defensively, the Argos backfield covers passes well. Vernon Adams and his receiving corps will have to be firing well off the whistle to establish an early lead.
Teryn Midzain is an English Major with ambitious goals to write movies and a full-time nerd, whose personality and eccentrics run on high-octane like the cars he loves. More importantly, Teryn loves sports [Formula One], and doesn’t care who knows. When not creating and running deadly schemes in his D&D sessions, Teryn tries to reach the core of what makes the romantic and dramatic World of Sports, the characters and people that make the events so spectacular.
